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PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICE: THE ACHIEVING PRINCIPAL
COACHING INITIATIVE
by
Diane E. Kammeyer
________________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
December 2010
Copyright 2010 Diane E. Kammeyer

The purpose of this case study was to contribute to the knowledge base about effective components of leadership capacity-building programs and support structures that enable and sustain school leader practice. The focus of this study was to find out how principal participation in the Achieving Principal Coaching Initiative (APCI) influenced leadership practices in the urban school context. This mixed-methods case study investigated the following five questions: (1) How does participation in the APCI prepare principals to become effective instructional leaders?; (2) How does APCI influence the knowledge, beliefs, and leadership practices of urban school principals?; (3) How does an urban school principal create and sustain organizational structures and processes that promote effective teacher practices and improve student outcomes?; (4) What leadership support structures enable leader practice?; (5) How can the VAL-ED Instrument serve as a coaching tool to assist principals to become effective instructional leaders?; Quantitative data were collected from the results of the pre-post intervention of the online Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) survey, an instrument that provided a summary of the perceptions of principals, teachers, and supervisors of leader effectiveness on learning-focused leadership behaviors that have been found to correlate with student achievement (Murphy, Elliott, Goldring & Porter, 2006). In addition, qualitative data were collected from pre and post intervention interviews with the principals and a subset of each of their teachers. Document analysis and pre and post field observations of the principals were also conducted to collect data on the principals’ leadership practices.; Both principals in these case studies increased their skills for effective leadership at their sites through the professional development provided both in the “Achieving Results! Principal Coaching Initiative” and in interactions with their coaches. Researchers have found that, “Principals play a vital and multifaceted role in setting the direction for schools that are positive and productive workplaces for teachers and vibrant learning environments for children” (Davis, Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, & Meyerson, 2005, p.1). Thus districts must provide professional development and coaching so that principals of urban schools can produce successful students.

PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP PRACTICE: THE ACHIEVING PRINCIPAL
COACHING INITIATIVE
by
Diane E. Kammeyer
________________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
December 2010
Copyright 2010 Diane E. Kammeyer